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METHODOLOGY

Whale Tracker.

How CryptoNerd detects and classifies large on-chain wallet movements โ€” what is directly observed, what is derived, and where the model has limits.

PROVENANCE MAP โ€” WHAT IS VERIFIED VS MODELED
Token symbol / amountVERIFIED DATARead directly from on-chain transaction data or exchange API response. Not derived.
USD valueVERIFIED DATAToken amount ร— spot price at detection time via CoinGecko. Price may vary by seconds.
Transaction hashVERIFIED DATAOn-chain tx hash when available. Explorers link directly to the recorded transaction.
Chain / networkVERIFIED DATADetermined from transaction metadata. Ethereum, Solana, Base, Arbitrum, Bitcoin.
Action type (buy/sell/bridge)MODELED SCOREClassified by heuristic: transfer direction, counterparty type, exchange address matching. May misclassify complex DeFi interactions.
Wallet labelMODELED SCOREAssigned from a curated watchlist of known wallets (VCs, DAOs, treasuries). Label accuracy depends on watchlist quality. Many wallets remain unlabeled.
Source type (ON_CHAIN / AI_GENERATED)VERIFIED DATADisplayed per signal. ON_CHAIN = direct transaction data. AI_GENERATED = inferred from pattern matching without direct tx.
Confidence scoreMODELED SCOREInternal signal reliability score. Higher = more supporting data available. Not a price prediction confidence.
HOW WHALE SIGNALS ARE FORMED
  1. Scan trigger: Manual scan or scheduled run calls the whaleScanner function, which queries Etherscan, Helius (Solana), and internal watchlists for transactions exceeding a minimum size threshold.
  2. Transaction filtering: Only moves above the configured USD floor are retained. Exchange deposits/withdrawals are classified separately from pure wallet-to-wallet transfers.
  3. Action classification: A rule-based heuristic assigns buy/sell/accumulate/distribute/bridge based on address type matching against known exchange addresses and wallet patterns.
  4. Wallet matching: Addresses are cross-referenced against the SmartWallet entity (manually curated). Unmatched wallets appear as address fragments.
  5. Storage and display: Classified signals are stored in the WhaleSignal entity and surfaced here. source_type is set to ON_CHAIN for verified data or AI_GENERATED for pattern-inferred signals.
WHAT THESE SIGNALS DO AND DO NOT MEAN
THESE SIGNALS INDICATE
  • A large wallet address moved tokens
  • The move exceeded the size threshold
  • The classification matched known patterns
  • The wallet is in our monitored list (if labeled)
THESE SIGNALS DO NOT MEAN
  • The wallet owner intends to buy or sell
  • Price will move in the signal direction
  • Institutional or professional identity is confirmed
  • The pattern will repeat or is intentional
CLASSIFICATION & VERSION
TRANSACTION DATA
VERIFIED DATA
Hash, amount, chain โ€” on-chain fact
ACTION CLASSIFICATION
MODELED
Heuristic rule-based, not ground truth
WALLET LABELS
MODELED
Curated list, manually maintained
UPDATE CADENCE
Manual + scheduled
Admin-triggered or automated scan
DATA SOURCES
Etherscan ยท Helius
Direct API calls to chain indexers
LIMITATIONS
  • Action classification is heuristic โ€” DeFi interactions are frequently miscategorized
  • Wallet labels are manually maintained and may be outdated or incorrect
  • AI_GENERATED signals have no direct transaction evidence
  • USD values use spot price at detection time and may differ from actual execution price
  • Large moves may be internal treasury rebalancing, not directional bets
  • This surface is not financial advice and should not be used as a sole signal for trading decisions